Physician gender and apologies in clinical interactions

Abstract

ObjectiveWe examine whether patients have a preference for affective (i.e., focused on patient’s emotions) or cognitive (i.e., focused on the process that led to the error) apologies that are dependent on the apologizing physician’s gender. We hypothesize patients will prefer gender-congruent apologies (i.e., when females offer affective apologies and males offer cognitive apologies). MethodsWe randomly assigned analogue patients (APs: participants instructed to imagine they were a patient) to read a scenario in which a female or male physician makes an error and provides a gender-congruent or incongruent apology. APs reported on their perceptions of the physician and legal intentions. ResultsAn apology-type and gender congruency effect was found such that APs preferred apologies congruent with the gender of the apologizing physician. An indirect effect of congruency on legal intentions through physician perceptions was confirmed (b=−0.24, p=0.02). ConclusionOur results suggest that physician gender plays a role in patient reactions to different apology types. Practice implicationsApology trainings should incorporate how physician characteristics can influence how patients assess and respond to apologies.